Elodie Collins 
York Space Systems reported the successful first-contact telemetry download of its Polylingual Experimental Terminal, or PExT, payload aboard the BARD satellite.
The company said Tuesday that the payload’s telemetry confirmed all systems functioned as designed, with no anomalies observed during the continuous wave pass.
How Did the Telemetry Download Perform?
NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, or TDRS, captured the PExT signal in real time with a strong carrier-to-noise ratio. Planned operations, including amplifier performance, synchronization and Doppler correction, were executed. Temperatures and power levels stayed within safe limits and no commands were rejected.
“This milestone demonstrates not only the robustness of our integrated systems, but also the precision and expertise of our operations team,” Michael Lajczok, chief technology officer at York, commented. “From spacecraft maneuvering to payload execution, every component of the mission is performing exactly as designed. It’s a strong validation of our ability to deliver on complex, high-performance communications missions for government and commercial customers.”
What Is Next for the BARD Mission?
The telemetry confirms the mission’s concept of operations and the spacecraft’s overall health.
York will next verify pointing performance that would enable high-fidelity data transfers with government and commercial networks in geostationary orbit, beginning with the TDRS constellation.
BARD is a commercial mission developed by York in partnership with NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation Program and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. Launched in July, the mission showcases PExT’s real-time interoperability between government and commercial satellite relay networks and supports NASA’s transition toward a commercial communications architecture.
